Tag Archives: populism

Consider this part gedankenexperiment, part the mutant child; the anti-consensus. The mainstream narrative line, defined for so long by denial of his rise and prophecies of his failure, has seen Donald Trump progress from laughable irrelevance, through curious sideshow bloviating like some half-cut post-modern William Blake, into the Great Red Dragon himself. “And behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars from heaven, and did cast them to the earth.” Perhaps that should read The Great Red Donald, with the heads … Continue reading

A high court judge has ruled that the abortion ban in Northern Ireland is incompatible with the rights of women. This ruling tells you a lot about the region and its history in the UK. Under the leadership of Roy Jenkins, the UK legalised abortion in 1967 around the same time that the government also decriminalised homosexual relations and abolished the death penalty. But all laws come with stipulations. The death penalty is still, technically, enforceable in cases of treason. Abortion remains, technically, illegal outside of a medical context and inside the Six Counties. The British government has long neglected … Continue reading

It took some time, but I finally got around to watching Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story (2008) by Stefan Forbes. It’s well worth a watch if you’re fascinated by the drama of American politics. In its focus on Lee Atwater the film individualises a serious problem, which is actually systematic, within the US political scene. This is both its weakness and strength. It shouldn’t be a surprise. After all, so-called rugged individualism has long been the dominant character of American politics. It’s part myth, and part reality. Personalities are more significant than parties. Ron Paul, Pat Buchanan and Sarah Palin coexist … Continue reading